metamorphoses 8.732

ovid, metamorphoses 8.725–37

Desierat, cunctosque et res et moverat auctor,
Thesea praecipue quem facta audire volentem
mira deum.^[1] Innixus cubito Calydonius amnis
talibus adloquitur: 'sunt, o fortissime, quorum
forma semel mota est et in hoc renovamine^[2] mansit;
sunt, quibus in plures ius est transire figuras,
ut tibi, conplexi terram maris incola, Proteu.
nam modo te iuvenem, modo te videre leonem,
nunc violentus aper, nunc, quem tetigisse timerent,
anguis eras, modo te faciebant cornua taurum;
saepe lapis poteras, arbor quoque saepe videri;
interdum, faciem liquidarum imitatus aquarum,
flumen eras, interdum undis contrarius ignis.

He ceased, and both the speaker and the topic had moved all of them, especially Theseus, who was wanting to hear of the marvelous deeds of the gods. Propped up on his elbows,^[3] the Calydonian River told of such great things: 'There are those, oh bravest one, who were once changed in appearance and who remain in this new condition; there are those for whom the rule is to change into many shapes, like you, Proteus, inhabitant of the earth-embracing sea. For once you seemed to be a youth, once a lion, now a violent boar, now you were a serpent, whom they fear to touch, one you made the horns of a bull; you are often able to seem to be a stone, often also a tree; sometimes you were a river, imitating the shape of the liquid water, sometimes you were the opposite, a wave of fire.'